Jetés

Jetés are leaps in ballet and other dance forms in which the dancer springs from one foot and lands on the other, with the working leg brushed into the air. The term comes from the French jeter, meaning "to throw." In a jeté, the takeoff is driven from the supporting leg, the working leg is extended, and the body travels through the air to land on the opposite foot. The movement emphasizes line, extension, and distance.

Common variants include grand jeté, jeté battu, and petit jeté. Grand jeté is a long, powerful leap where the working leg is extended forward while the opposite leg extends behind in a full airborne line or split. Jeté battu, or beaten jeté, adds a beating of the legs in the air, producing a quick, rhythmic action before landing. Petit jeté is a smaller, quicker jeté used as a linking step or to connect phrases.

In classical ballet, jetés are fundamental to technique and repertoire, with emphasis on turnout, core control, and a controlled, precise landing. The term is used across many dance styles, though variants and execution may differ. Jeté originated in the French ballet vocabulary and has become a standard description for a family of leaps that articulate distance, power, and musical phrasing.